BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Public outcry could be a powerful tool in residents’ fight against data centers in the Lehigh Valley, state Sen. Jarrett Coleman told residents Wednesday during a virtual town hall.
“The best thing is [for] communities to stay organized right now,” Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks, said.
“Making sure that people know how you feel, calling your townships, your municipalities, showing up to a meeting, telling them you don't want these in your area, that's very, very important.”
During the event, Coleman, a first-term senator, laid out his opposition to data centers and answered some of the “almost 100 questions” he said he received.
“I don't really care. I just don't think they're a good fit here in the Valley and Upper Bucks."Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh/Bucks
Hyperscale facilities — those more than 50,000 square feet — use a “massive” amount of electricity, which could affect the power grid and drive up prices throughout the region, Coleman said.
“They’re mega-hogs when it comes to electricity,” he said. He said they present a potential increased threat of “rolling brownouts and blackouts.”
“They're going to be turning off people's power left and right and leaving a data center on," Coleman said. "That's a huge problem."
He also highlighted a slew of concerns raised by residents in municipal meetings throughout the past few months, including data centers’ water usage, noise levels and increased risk for emergency responders.
The facilities would create some local jobs and generate tax revenues for municipalities, school districts and the state.
“I don't really care," Coleman said Wednesday. "I just don't think they're a good fit here in the Valley and Upper Bucks.
“We don't need them here. We don't need them here in Pennsylvania. That's for certain.”
'Positive news'
Many of the data centers proposed in the Lehigh Valley are hyperscale facilities, including those planned in South Allentown, South Whitehall Township and Upper Macungie Township.
Upper Macungie zoning officials last month rejected Air Products’ proposal to build a 2.6-million-square-foot data center, a bit of “positive news” Coleman celebrated Wednesday.
He also noted the South Whitehall Township Planning Commission postponed its review of the Project Atlas data center that was scheduled for Thursday night.
“But if you're a township resident, you should consider attending any future hearing on this matter,” Coleman said.
Coleman painted himself as a flagbearer in Harrisburg for the fight against data centers in the Lehigh Valley.
He said he is “one of the only elected officials locally that's really taken a hard line stance that [I] don't want data centers.”
And he blamed Gov. Josh Shapiro for a potential proliferation of data centers in Pennsylvania.
“We didn't just get here all of a sudden; we got here because the Shapiro Administration incentivized data centers to come here,” Coleman said.
'Press the pause button'
Certified data center developers do not pay Pennsylvania’s 6% sales tax on equipment to build and maintain facilities — an exemption that is projected to cost the state about $200 billion in the next fiscal year and $2 billion by 2031.
Coleman this spring introduced Senate Bill 1344 to repeal the tax exemption for data center equipment.
“Those regulations could be so protective that it will make it almost impossible for them to come here.”State Sen. Jarrett Coleman
His other related piece of legislation, Senate Bill 1345, aims to establish an 18-month moratorium on data centers for municipalities to develop new regulations.
“This law will let municipalities … press the pause button and give them time to revise their zoning ordinances and establish policies they believe protect their communities' interests,” Coleman said.
“Those regulations could be so protective that it will make it almost impossible for them to come here.”
Dozens of residents opposed to data centers urged Allentown City Council members to use a legal technique known as a municipal curative amendment to give themselves a similar window to get the city’s regulations in order.
City Council last week tabled its data center legislation, which is expected to be reviewed again June 17.
